Postgraduate Course: Empirical Dissertation (CLPS11050)
Course Outline
| School | School of Health in Social Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Dissertation |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 60 |
ECTS Credits | 30 |
| Summary | This core course within the MSc Psychology of Mental Health (Conversion) provides students with the invaluable experience of designing, conducting, analysing and presenting a research project. This course provides students with the opportunity to work in small groups (typically 2-4 students) on a research project, chosen from the department's Research Projects Handbook, and to complete a dissertation. |
| Course description |
The dissertation teaching will predominantly be small-group supervision, which may include face-to-face meetings, email/telephone contact, and formative feedback. Students will work in small groups, which will provide an additional element of peer learning and social support. Working in small groups will also allow students to engage in larger-scale projects, however, all students will submit independent dissertations for assessment. Seminars/workshops will be delivered in Semester 2 to provide general guidance on issues relevant to all dissertation projects.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Research Methods in Applied Psychology (CLPS11066) AND
Psychological Research Methods: Data Management and Analysis (CLPS11056)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | To progress to dissertation:
Students must pass at least 80 credits with a mark of at least 50% in each of the courses which make up these credits and attain an average of at least 50% for 120 credits of study. Students must also achieve a combined average mark of 50% or more for the two research methods courses: Research Methods in Applied Psychology (RMAP) and Psychological Research Methods: Data Management and Analysis. This is a BPS requirement for conversion programmes.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
| Course Start Date |
16/09/2024 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
600
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
578 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Dissertations should be 8,000-9,000 words and follow the structure and format of the sample dissertation pro forma provided in the course handbook.
Dissertations will be marked using the University of Edinburgh marking guidelines.
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| Feedback |
Supervisors will provide formative feedback in one set of comments on each of the following elements of the dissertation: Abstract, Introduction, Methods and Results. No formative feedback will be provided on the Discussion section of the dissertation.
Summative feedback will be given once the dissertation mark has been ratified by the Board of Examiners. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate Psychological Research Knowledge and will be able to: Critically reflect on research and evidence on psychological theories and mental health. Understand and critically reflect upon data collection methods and issues. Understand and critically reflect upon different analytical techniques and their uses where appropriate to the project
- Demonstrate Psychological Research Skills and will be able to: Carry out research using appropriate research design, data collection methods and ethical procedures. Analyse data appropriately using a relevant approach and software if required. Write an extended technical research report (dissertation)
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Reading List
Readings related to the research topic recommended by supervisor
Bell, J. (2005). Doing your research project. Buckingham: Open University Press. (4th ed).
Dunn, D. (2011). A short guide to writing about psychology (3rd ed). London: Longman.
Field, A., & Hole, G. (2003). How to design and report experiments. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Forshaw, M. (2004). Your undergraduate psychology project: a BPS guide. Oxford: Blackwell.
Heffernan, T.M. (2000). A Student's guide to studying psychology. Hove: Psychology Press
Landrum, R.E. (2008). Undergraduate Writing in Psychology: Learning to Tell the Scientific Story. Washington, DC: APA.
Sternberg, R.J. (2003). The Psychologist's companion: a guide to scientific writing for students and researchers (4th ed). Cambridge: CUP (especially Chapter 3, 7 & 8).
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Develop your research knowledge that will enable you to discuss, share, present and analyse data and information in various formats and from a range of sources
Develop your research methods and data analysis skills
Develop your critical reflection and writing skills |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Araceli Sofia De La Fuente Garcia
Tel:
Email: Sofia.Delafuente@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Yuke Duan
Tel:
Email: yduan@ed.ac.uk |
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